XN000022-1978-02-26 — Page 2

1

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 1978

ALEX WU TO REPRESENT HONG KONG AT PARLIAMENTARY

SEMINAR AT WESTMINSTER

******

UNOFFICIAL LEGISLATIVE COUNCILLOR, MR. ALEX WU SHU-CHIH, IS TO REPRESENT THE HONG KONG BRANCH OF THE COMMONWEALTH PARLIAMENTARY ASSOCIATION (C.P.A.) AT THE 27TH ANNUAL PARLIAMENTARY SEMINAR TO BE HELD AT WESTMINSTER IN LONDON,

THE SEMINAR, ORGANISED EACH YEAR BY THE COMMONWEALTH PARLIAMENTARY ASSOCIATION, IS ON PARLIAMENTARY PRACTICE AND PROCEDURE. IT WILL RUN FROM FEBRUARY 28 TO MARCH 21.

A TOTAL OF 24 DELEGATES FROM VARIOUS BRANCHES OF THE C.P.A. HAVE BEEN NOMINATED TO ATTEND THIS YEAR'S SEMINAR.

MR. WU, ACCOMPANIED BY HIS WIFE, WILL LEAVE FOR LONDON TOMORROW (MONDAY).

PROVISIONAL TRADE FIGURES FOR JANUARY ******

THE VALUE OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS FOR LAST MONTH (JANUARY) WAS $2,721 MILLION, EXPORTS WERE WORTH $4,288 MILLION AND RE-EXPORTS $882 MILLION, ACCORDING TO THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT'S PROVISIONAL TRADE FIGURES PUBLISHED TODAY (SUNDAY).

THE FIGURES FOR THE PERIOD BETWEEN NOVEMBER 1977 TO JANUARY 1978 SHOWED INCREASES, BY VALUE, OF 9.1 PER CENT FOR DOMESTIC EXPORTS, 16.6 PER CENT FOR IMPORTS AND 10.3 PER CENT FOR RE-EXPORTS, COMPARED WITH THE SAME PERIOD BETWEEN NOVEMBER 1976 TO JANUARY 1977.

COMPARED WITH THE SAME MONTH IN 1977, INCREASES, BY VALUE, OF $31 MILLION OR 1.2 PER CENT IN EXPORTS, $457 MILLION OR 11.9 PER CENT IN IMPORTS AND $41 MILLION OR 4.9 PER CENT IN RE-EXPORTS WERE RECORDED.

THE SHORT TERM CHANGES, JANUARY 1978 COMPARED WITH DECEMBER 1977, SHOWED DECREASES OF 3856 MILLION OR 23.9 PER CENT FOR DOMESTIC EXPORTS, $628 MILLION OR 12.8 PER CENT FOR IMPORTS AND $93 MILLION OR 9.5 PER CENT FOR RE-EXPORTS.

SUCH DECREASES APPEAR TO BE IN LINE WITH THE SEASONAL PATTERN AFTER THE PEAK IN LAST DECEMBER.

THE FIGURES FOR THE 12-MONTH PERIOD FROM FEBRUARY 1977 TO JANUARY 1978 COMPARED WITH THOSE OF THE PREVIOUS 12-MONTH SHOWED INCREASES, EY VALUE, OF 7 PER CENT FOR DOMESTIC EXPORTS, 12 PE CENT FOR IMPORTS AND 9.2 PER CENT FOR RE-EXPORTS.

A SPOKESMAN FOR THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT REMINDED IMPORTERS AND EXPORTERS THAT FROM JANUARY 1978, THEY SHOULD COMPLETE THE IR DECLARATIONS ACCORDING TO THE 1978 REVISED HONG KONG IMPORTS AND EXPORTS CLASSIFICATION LIST WHICH IS BASED ON THE UNITED NATIONS STANDARD INTERNATIONAL TRADE CLASSIFICATION (SITC) AND CONTAINS MORE DETAILED COMMODITY BREAKDOWNS.

/FOLLOWING